Never ramble on a road.

A few days later, undeterred by the disappointment of my initial training session, I ventured out again. Heading off from home in a different direction this time, I followed a footpath. Eventually the footpath reached the road. Being a footpath virgin (I always drive everywhere) I wasn't sure which way to go next, however, I boldy headed down the next track I found that was signposted as a bridleway. Twenty minutes later I was standing in the driveway of an unfamiliar farmhouse, wth what appeared to be three choices of footpaths leading off in different directions, none of which were marked. By now, the sun was setting and I didn't fancy making a russian roulette style choice of route only to find myself stranded goodness knows where in the dark, therefore, I decided that the best plan would be to back track to the road and follow it back home.

This is when I discovered that it is never a good idea to ramble on a road, particularly in the pitch dark. Newsflash! Cars drive very fast down country lanes and there are a lot of them.

I quickly realised that as I was wearing a black tracksuit, I was practically invisible to road users. I found myself having to leap onto the grassy verge or into the hedge (hedges can be spikey!) as cars sped past me. It was the antithesis of a pleasant walk down a country lane. I was dicing with death. For the first time in my life, I found myself wondering where I could purchase a fluorescent sash.

Having made it back home safely, I determined to buy a footpath map of the area to plan a safe circular route for my next outing.

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